Sharp County record., 1887-09-01

Havana to San Francisco, and when ne
was in port he was worse than when he
was on the sea. What power was it that
washed his tongue clean of profanities and
made him psalm-singer2 Conversion by
the Holy Spirit.
There are thousands of people in this
house tonight who are no more what they
once we're than water-lily is nightshade,
or morning lark is vulture, or day is
night.
Now. if I should demand that all these
people in this house who have felt the
converting power of religion should rise,
so far from being ashamed, they would
spring to their feet with more alacrity than
they ever sprang to the dance, the tears
mingling with their exhilaration, as they
cried:
We are witnesses.
And il they tried to sing the old Gospel
hvmn, they would break down with emo
tion by the time they got to the second
line:
Ashamed of Jesus, that dear friend,
On whom my hopes OF Heaven dependf
That I no more revere His name.
Again, remark that "we are witnesses"
of the Gospels power to comfort
When man has trouble the world comes
in and says:
"Now get your mind off this. Go out
and breathe the fresh air. Plunge deeper
into business"
What poor advice. Get your mind off Of
it, when every thing is upturned with the
bereavement, and every thing reminds
YOU of what you have lost. Get your mind
off of it. They might as we'll advise you
to stop thinking. You can not stop think
ing, and you can not stop thinking in that
direction. Take walk in the fresh air.
Why, along that very street, or that very
road, she once accompanied you. Out OF
that grass plot she once plucked flowers,
or into that show window she looked,
fascinated, saying:
"Come, see the pictures"
Go deeper into business! Why, she was
associated with all your business ambition,
and since she has gone you have no ambi-
tion left.
Oh, this is a clumsy world when it tries
to comfort broken heart can build a
Corliss engine, l can paint a RaphaePs
"Madonna," l can play a Beethoven's
"Symphony" as easily as this world can
comfort broken heart. And yet you
have been comforted. How was it doney
Did Christ come TO you and say:
sect your mind off this; go out and
breathe the fresh air; plunge deeper into
business"
No. There was a minute when he came
to you-perhaps in the watches OF the
night, perhaps in your place OF business,
perhaps along the street-and he breathed
something into your soul that gave peace,
rest, infinite quiet, so that you could take
out the photograph of the departed one and
look into the eyes and the face Of the dear
one, and say:
at is all right; she is better off; would
not call her back. Lord, | thank thee that
thou hast comforted my poor heart"
There are Christian parents here who are
willing to testify to the power Of this
Gospel to comfort. Your son had just
graduated from school or college, and was
going into business, and the Lord took
him. Or your daughter had just gradu-
ated from the young ladies' seminary, and
you thought she was going to be a useful
woman and of long life; but the Lord took
her, and you were tempted to say:
"All this culture Of twenty years for
nothingw
Or the little child came home from school
with the hot fever that stopped not for the
agonized prayer or for the skillful physi-
clan, and the little child was taken. Or
the babe was lifted out Of your arms by
some quick epidemic, and you stood won
dering why God ever gave you that child
at all, if so soon He was to take it away.
And yet you are not repining, you are not
fretful, you are not fighting against God.
What has enabled you to stand all the
trial?
"Oh," you say, 81 took the medicine that
God gave my sick soul. In my distress |
threw myself at the feet Of sympathiz-
ing God; and when l was too weak to
pray, or to look up, he breathed into me a
peace that think must be the foretaste Of
that Heaven where there is neither tear,
nor farewell, nor grave"
Come, all ye who have been out to the
grave to weep there-come, all ye comfort
ed souls, get up off your knees. Is there
no power in this Gospel to soothe the heart?
Is there no power in this religion to quiet
the worst paroxysm of grief? There comes
up an answer from comforted widowhood,
and orphanage, and childlessness, saying:
"Aye, aye, we are witnessesW
Again, remark that we are witnesses
of the fact that religion has power to give
composure in the last moment l shall
never forget the first time l confronted
death. We went across the corn fields in
the country. / was led by my fathers
hand, and we came to the farm house
where the bereavement had come, and we
saw the crowd Of wagons and carriages; /;
but there was one carriage that especially
attracted by boyish atten ton, and it had
black plumes. / said:
"What's that? what's that? Why those
black tassels at the topW
After it was explained to me, l was
lifted up to look upon the bright face Of an
aged Christian woman, who three days
before had departed in triumph. The
whole scene made an impression Inever
forgot.
In our sermons and in our lay exhorta-
tions we are very apt, when we want to
bring illustrations of dying triumph, to go
back to some distinguished parsonage
to John Knox or Harriet Newell. But
want you for witnesses.
want to know if you have ever seen